How to Install an Electric Dog Fence: A Quick Overview

Many dog owners are searching for the best way to keep their dogs safely contained in the yard. One option is building a physical fence, but when homeowners find out the cost of that, that option often gets marked off of the list. Not only is it pricey, but some dogs are determined or agile enough to jump over the fence or dig underneath it.
Another option dog owners might consider is an underground dog fence. Logically, many people want to know how to install an electric dog fence. If you are wondering if this is something you can do yourself, the answer is yes. Let’s take a look at the basics of installing a Do-It-Yourself Electric Dog Fence kit.

Creating Your Layout

Planning exactly where you want to your invisible border to be is the first step. The most important thing to know about planning is that in order for your fence to work, there must be a complete circuit with the wire. This means your dog fence wire must start and stop at the same place. A complete circle, if you will.
The easiest layout would be to make a large circle around your entire property. However, this isn’t ideal for everyone. Some would like to just contain their pets in their backyard only, for example. In this case, a double loop method is needed. Here is a link to all of the possible layouts you can do with an electric dog fence.

About Digging

As you know, most people choose to bury their dog fence wire. Wondering the best way to do this? You can rent a trencher, which will dig your trench and bury the wire at the same time. Others use a lawn edger to cut a groove in their yard, so they can just insert the wire and cover the trench up with dirt. Or, if you are adventurous and handy with a shovel, you can just dig your trench by hand. How deep should the wire be buried? Between 3 and 6 inches is ideal.
*Important: Before you actually dig, it is important to call 811 to see where your power lines are buried. Your dog fence wire can cross power or cable lines perpendicularly, but if running parallel, must be separated by at least 4 feet.

About Twisted Wire

Many people wonder what the twisted wire that comes with their kit is used for. Twisted wire is used to connect the loop that you have created in your yard, with the transmitter that is located inside of your house or garage. Twisted wire is neutral, so your dog will not get a correction when they cross it.
With that being said, twisted wire cannot be used to cancel out a section of your loop. If you try to do this, the fence will not work properly. As mentioned, your loop must be a continuous loop of boundary wire. Twisted wire can only be used as a connector.

Hooking Up the Equipment

Before you actually dig your trench, it is important to hook up your equipment and test it first. The instructions on how you do that may vary by what brand it is. The example I am providing here is how to hook up the Extreme Dog Fence.
So, you have created your loop and spliced in your twisted wire, bringing in the twisted wire to inside of your home. Did a surge protector come with your kit? If so, you would insert the two ends of the twisted wire into your surge protector, in the holes that are marked “loop.”
Next, take a small piece of twisted wire to connect your surge protector to your transmitter. Insert the 2 ends of the twisted wire in the holes marked “transmitter” with the other end of it going into the transmitter, to the two outer screws that can be found by removing the cover off of the transmitter.

Training Your Dog

Of course the last ingredient of an electric dog fence is putting the collar on your dog. But your dog needs more guidance than this. You can’t just put the collar on the dog and expect him or her to know what to do. A few weeks of training is involved. Here is information on how to train your dog on an electric dog fence.
So there you have it! Just a little elbow grease and some training is all you need to get an electric dog fence up and running.